Decision to axe A12 widening 'a disgrace'

Dame Priti Patel, MP for Witham in Essex said she has written a scathing letter to the Transport Secretary

Politicians and businesses have criticised the decision to axe an A12 widening project, with one MP calling it "a disgrace".

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander cancelled the long-awaited £1.2b works planned for the road near Chelmsford, Essex, blaming it on a lack of funds.

Alexander accused the previous Conservative government of promising infrastructure projects with "no plan to pay for them".

But Dame Priti Patel, Tory MP for Witham, said: "I just think this is disgraceful. This will have big implications for the whole county."

About 90,000 vehicles on a daily basis use the section of the A12 that had works planned

Plans had been in place for the £1.2bn project to widen a 15-mile (24km) stretch of the road from Chelmsford to the A120 junction at Marks Tey.

It was approved by the government in January 2024 to help ease congestion for the 90,000 vehicles that use that section of the road on a daily basis.

Andrew Triolo, depot principal at Pallet Plus Limited, in Colchester, he said he was "very disappointed".

He estimated it costs him about £60 per hour per vehicle to "sit in traffic" on the A12.

"It's a travesty - it really is. We all want to reach from A to B as safely as we can - the A12 doesn't always deliver that."

'Frustrated'

Ms Patel added: "I think we need to see the methodology that was used to rank and score this decision.

"What are the reasons that have gone into this?

"What does this mean for housing and development because this Labour government want many more houses built."

Sir Bernard Jenkin - the MP for Harwich and North Essex - was also unhappy with the announcement.

He said: "How can I possibly welcome the secretary of state's statement when she, by her own admission, has cancelled the A12 widening scheme?"

The plans had been in the pipeline for the 11 years - 10 of which when Conservatives were in power.

Rosie Pearson is the co-founder of the Community Planning Alliance said she was "happy" the widening had been scrapped.

She told BBC Essex: "I am pleased that these extra six carriage ways will not go ahead and we need to put our focus on transport led housing rather than road led housing."

Alexander announced on Tuesday that more money was going to be invested into roads in the north of England and the Midlands.

"I understand some communities will feel frustrated, but by taking this decision we are rebalancing funds towards those areas that for too long haven't had the infrastructure investment they have deserved," she added.